


A Soldier Scorned

by Hitaka5Ever



Category: NCIS, Teen Titans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-09
Updated: 2014-08-09
Packaged: 2018-02-12 12:21:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2109720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hitaka5Ever/pseuds/Hitaka5Ever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Slade takes over NCIS Headquarters with Director Shepard and Gibbs as his hostages, it's up to the Teen Titans and the NCIS gang to help free them and take Slade down, while fighting against hundreds of Slade-bots all over Headquarters</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was a lovely day in Washington DC's Washington Naval Yard where the NCIS building resided. Inside on the first floor was the main lobby and work space of the top Special Agents. The sun was shining inside the building brightly, illuminating some of the Special Agents' computers. Tony DiNozzo, the Senior Field Agent, was talking to Ziva David, a Mossad Liaison Officer, as he sat at his desk. The week had been long and hard, the lack of sleep affecting all of the Special Agents except for Gibbs, the leader of the Special Agents. He was currently down in the Autopsy room, talking to Chief Medical Examiner Ducky Mallard, who was with his assistant Jimmy Palmer as they performed an autopsy on a retired soldier, who had been found murdered in his own home. His name was Eddie Marx, who had joined the military during the Vietnam War. According to Ducky, the cause of death was a bullet straight through the forehead.

When the Special Agents investigated the crime scene that morning, there were no signs of forced entry or struggle. Suicide was out of the question seeing as the bullet's entry way was impossible to get perfectly straight. It was either a homicide between an old friend, lover, or a very skilled murderer that knew how to clean up a crime scene and had great hacking skills. Tony and Timothy McGee, also a Special Agent, had interviewed neighbors and asked if they heard anything strange or unfamiliar around the house. They came up empty-handed, which annoyed Gibbs.

"I can clarify, Jethro, that the bullet fired was several feet away, possibly from the front door," Ducky explained. "Blood leaking into his brain is probably what killed this poor fellow. There was no exit wound, however there also was no bullet lodged within his brain. We only know it was a bullet because of the size and shape of the hole in his head."

"That's interesting, Duck, but do you know the reason _why_ he was killed?" Gibbs asked before sipping his coffee.

Ducky hummed. "I'm sure that is part of _your_ department, Jethro."

Gibbs nodded. "Thanks Ducky."

Turning around, Gibbs went to the elevator and pushed the up button. The door soon opened and he stepped inside. He hit the Main Floor button. The door closed and he ascended. When it got to the top, he stepped out and entered his work space to reach his desk.

"Any news, boss?" McGee asked.

"If there was any, I would have told you," Gibbs said, sipping his coffee again and not looking at Tim.

Tony stretched and yawned. "We still have no new leads on this murder, boss. Oh, and, the Director wants to see you in MTAC."

Sighing, Gibbs stood back up and headed for the stairs. "And you wait to tell me now?" he asked, annoyed.

Tony pursed his lips for a second. "Sorry boss…"

Shaking his head, Gibbs headed for the white stairs that led to the top floor. He vanished from sight. The elevator opened again and Abby stepped through. She looked frightened and frantic as she joined the others.

"Um, guys, I think we have a problem."

* * *

"Hey, nut job! The Circus is in Albany."

The name of the city hardly left the guard's mouth before he was shot in the chest twice in quick succession. He crashed into the wall behind him, slumping to the floor. Stepping up to the entrance to the main floor, a man all in black and armor fired his gun at the handles, blowing them off completely. He kicked the door in and stepped through. A large group of people in orange-faced masks and wearing claws on their hands stood behind the strange man in the half black and orange mask.

Slade, aka Deathstroke, flawlessly walked farther into the building, his army following behind him. Most had weapons in their hands. There weren't too many people inside, but once they realized they were outnumbered, they began to panic. The Special Agents ran out to see what the hell was going on. They aimed their guns at Slade, who seemed undisturbed. His solitary eye was slightly narrowed. Tony stood in front.

"Who the hell are you, tall, dark, and extremely ugly?" he asked, being as cocky as ever.

Reaching into his belt, Slade whipped out several smoke bombs. He tossed them into the lobby and work spaces. Smoke billowed out, filling up pretty much the entire room. The Special Agents coughed and closed their eyes when the smoke attacked them. Slade attacked Tony first, knocking him back into Ziva. McGee fired his gun sloppily, hoping to hit him in the leg or arm. Slade easily tossed him aside, heading for the stairs leading up to MTAC. Reaching the Emergency button, Abby pushed it hard, sounding the alarm. Slade's robots went to the elevator. One entered, opened up the top with his laser gun, and fired several shots within the darkness. The sounds of breaking wires resounded in the elevator. Quickly stepping out, the robot avoided falling with the elevator, which fell rapidly towards the bottom of the shaft. Once the loud crash and explosion passed, several of them jumped inside the newly created hole to do their job. Even more robots surrounded the whole NCIS building. Tony crawled to his desk, grabbed his cell, and contacted Gibbs. The main man picked it up.

 _"What the hell's going on DiNozzo?"_ he asked, sounding pissed.

Tony looked wildly around but couldn't see a thing as he spoke to Gibbs. "Some whack job came in with a bunch of masked people and they are taking over NCIS! He's heading up to MTAC right now! You guys gotta get out of there! He's armed with smoke bombs and a gun!"

_"Make sure no one is hurt!"_

"You got it boss!" Tony threw his phone onto his desk, quickly came out from behind it, and aimed his gun at the stairs. Faintly seeing Slade at the top, he started to fire. The bullets ricocheted off the back of his neck plate. He was soon out of sight, much to Tony's dismay. He found Abby and pushed the alarm button. The sirens instantly stopped. Abs looked scared.

"Tony, what's going on?"

"I don't know, Abby," he said. "But Gibbs will find out."

* * *

Slade entered MTAC, the door slowly closing behind him. He kept a few robots out in the hallways, in case anyone decided to ruin his plan. A few came inside with him, welding the door completely shut. He expected to see Gibbs and the Director, but the room was empty and every monitor was shut off. Slade walked farther into the room, listening closely for any strange noises. He descended a few of the steps carefully, keeping his ears open. He suddenly heard a click to his right.

"Who the hell are you?" Slade didn't move for a few seconds. He slowly turned and saw Gibbs standing a few feet away, his gun aimed at his chest. "Why did you attack NCIS Headquarters?"

Slade's eye was unreadable. "That is not really your business, is it."

He reached for his belt. "Freeze." Director Shepard had appeared out from behind a table, aiming her gun at the hand behind Slade's back. "Put your hands in the air so we can see them."

Slade lowered his arm. "I am not the only one you should be worried about, Director."

Gibbs saw one of Slade's robots coming up behind the Director. Ignoring Slade, he quickly aimed at the robot's head and fired his gun. The robot fell back when the bullet hit its forehead.

"Jethro!"

The sound of humming reached Gibbs's ears. A robot stood behind him, aiming a laser gun at the back of his head. Slade reached back into his belt, pulling out a small hand-held detonator.

"Do everything I say and I won't have to destroy this building and everyone in it," he said calmly.

Gibbs was quiet momentarily. "You're bluffing," he said, aiming his gun at Slade again.

"Am I?" Slade asked, putting some pressure on the red button. "…I would lower your gun if I were you."

Gibbs still held his stiffened stance. He soon admitted defeat. Taking his finger off the trigger, he raised his arm and let the gun fall to the floor. He looked at the Director.

"Drop your gun, Jenny."

Director Shepard nodded and dropped her gun to the floor. Still keeping his finger on the button, Slade motioned to the rows of seats like you see in movie theaters.

"Sit," he ordered. The Director glanced at Gibbs briefly before slowly walking to a chair. She sat down. The Slade-bot behind Gibbs grabbed his arm tightly and pulled him over to her, sitting him down roughly. Slade turned to the robot and spoke to it. "Restrain them."

As the robot did what he was told, Slade turned to the main computer and approached it, putting the detonator back in his belt. After the robot tied Gibbs's and the Director's hands and feet to their seats with thick wire, it joined the others at the door. Slade began typing on the keyboard.

"Are you aware that you have taken over a very important military unit?" Gibbs asked, trying to get information.

"Yes, I am well aware," Slade replied, not looking at them. "Now be quiet."

Gibbs was not going to take orders from him apparently. "Don't you even know who I am?"

Slade snorted, still not taking his eye off the screen. "Yes, I am well aware of your interrogation skills, Jethro Gibbs. Sweet talking your way out of this one won't work."

"What do you even _want_?" the Director asked.

"That is highly classified information, Director," Slade replied. "I wouldn't want your Special Agents hearing too much."

Outside the door was Abby and McGee, listening in on their conversation with small headsets in their ears. They both sighed in irritation at being found out. Abby pounded on the door twice.

"You won't get away with this you creep!"

McGee quickly pulled her away from the door. "Don't antagonize him, Abs." He pulled her down the hall. "We don't know what he's capable of."

They returned to the main lobby and descended the stairs where Tony and Ziva were waiting at their desks. The smoke had long since cleared.

"Anything?" Ziva asked.

"We don't have a name and we don't know if he has any other weapons," McGee said. "All we know is his strange appearance and that he has Gibbs and the Director as hostages."

This whole situation was turning grim.

"What about his small army?" Tony asked.

"I wouldn't call it _small_ , Tony. They're surrounding the entire building, the interrogation rooms, the elevators, Abby's lab, and the autopsy room. Not to mention they have their own weapons."

"Then what do you propose we do, McGeek?"

McGee opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. "I don't know," he said with a sigh.

Everyone was silent for a few seconds.

"Well, we should figure out who this armored man is," Ziva said.

Tony snorted. "And how should we do that?"

McGee had an idea. "Anyone a good artist?"

Abs instantly raised her arm and was pushing her body up and down with the balls of her feet. "Oh Timmy, let me do it! Please!" Nodding, McGee went to his desk, grabbed computer paper and a pencil, and gave it to Abby. Sitting at Gibb's desk, she began to draw Slade's torso, upper arms, and head. "I need a black and orange sharpie!"

McGee complied, handing Abs the sharpies. She inked her sketch and then colored it. Clicking the sharpie closed, she lifted up her paper and held it out to Tony. He took it from her.

"Scan that into the computer and send it to every database in the country," he told Ziva. "Someone is bound to recognize this guy."

Snatching the drawing from his outstretched hand, Ziva went to her desk and scanned it in. She then sent it out to every military personnel in the United States.

"Now all we have to do is wait for someone to show up."

Sighing, everyone returned to their desks and waited.


	2. Chapter 2

All the way across the country in California, the Teen Titans were out eating pizza for lunch. They were just about to order when a communicator went off. Quickly reaching into his belt, Robin pulled out his yellow Titan's communicator and flipped open the lid. Raven decided to order for them as he scanned the screen. Words were appearing in a marquee: **NCIS under attack; unknown intruder; smoke bombs and guns; need urgent help; Director and top Special Agent held hostage; image**

Once the words vanished, the picture Abby had drawn appeared on screen. Robin's masked eyes widened. He snapped the lid shut and stood.

"Titans, we have a serious problem," he said, dead serious. The Titans gave him their full attention. "Slade has taken over NCIS headquarters in Washington DC."

* * *

Tony opened and closed his cell phone several times in boredom. He had been doing it for two hours. Soon, the clacking sound drove Ziva and Abby insane.

"TONY!" they both yelled.

Tony clacked the lid shut and looked at them, looking slightly sheepish. "Sorry," he said, placing the phone down.

Abby sighed. "Being up here doing nothing is boring. Those masked men better not be messing with my stuff."

By "stuff" she meant her Gothic possessions.

"I just hope Ducky's okay," Ziva said. "We should contact him."

"Does he even own a cell phone?" Tony asked.

"Palmer does," Abby said. "Contact him."

Tony flipped open his cell phone. Abby gave him the number. The phone rang three times before Palmer picked up.

_"_ _**Please** _ _tell me you guys are safe."_

"We're fine Palmer," Tony replied. "The only ones who need help are the Director and Gibbs. Some masked freak has taken over NCIS. We sent out a distress call. How is everything down there?"

_"Well uh, there are masked people outside the doors and Dr. Mallard and I can't get out. Since we don't know what these guys are armed with, we're staying here until help comes."_ Palmer paused. _"Help is coming_ _…_ _right?"_

"We hope so," Tony said. "If anything new happens, we'll let you know."

Tony quickly snapped his cell shut before relaying everything to Ziva, Abby, and McGee.

"You guys have guns," Abby said, worried about Palmer and Ducky. "Go down there and take the people out!"

"It's not that simple Abs," McGee said. "They could be expecting us to come down there and rescue Palmer and Ducky. We have to wait until we get more help."

"Then contact the Pentagon! The President! Do something! Gibbs could be dead by now!"

Tony got up and went over to comfort her. "Don't worry, Abby," he said, holding onto her shaking shoulders. "Gibbs knows what he's doing…even if he _is_ tied up."

Worry was etched on Abby's face and in her eyes. "That doesn't make me feel any better Tony!"

Abby buried her head in his chest. He held onto her.

"We'll figure something out soon."

Meanwhile, up in MTAC, Slade was trying to get past the security gates of the system. He tried every password known to man to get passed them, but was so far unsuccessful. Luckily he was very patient. For the past two hours, Gibbs was thinking of a plan to get Slade to answer his questions he hadn't asked yet. He wanted to know who he was and why he was there, trying to get into the system.

He leaned close to Shepard and whispered, "Let me handle this." Sitting up straight, Gibbs cleared his throat. "Mind telling me who you are?"

"I do mind, actually," Slade replied.

"Then how about an exchange? Tell me who you are and I will give you the password you need."

The Director looked at Gibbs as though he were crazy.

"Gibbs, I am the type of man who prefers challenges," Slade explained, still not looking at them. "Besides, there is no doubt that your Special Agents have sent out a warning about my intrusion." Slade typed in another password and then pressed ENTER. The NCIS logo appeared on screen. "I expect there will be someone here in the next few hours to try and stop me, which I _am_ looking forward to. Now, if you will be quiet, I can finish and be out of here with the information I need. Then you will never hear or see from me again."

Shepard glanced at Gibbs.

"If and when you get what you came here for, Special Agents DiNozzo, McGee, and David will stop you if you try to leave. You're wasting your time."

"I assure you, Gibbs, that I will get away with this." A large file with billions of names appeared on screen. Standing up straight, Slade reached into his belt and pulled out a small disk. He placed it in one of the drivers before closing it. After typing a few more things into the computer, a blue percentage bar appeared. It started to fill up, but little by little. The names were quickly scrolling through during the process. "Once the download completes and I have what I need, you will never hear of me again."

"That's what they all say, Dirtbag," Gibbs said.

Ignoring the very slow download, Slade picked up his gun and pulled the top case back before locking it back in place. He turned around and approached his hostages. Reaching Gibbs, he held the barrel to his forehead. The Director looked fearfully at them, which was hidden by her usual demeanor.

"I don't like repeating myself, Gibbs," he said calmly. "Be… _quiet_."

Gibbs was unafraid; he knew he wouldn't shoot his forehead that would kill him. Slade needed them in case he wanted to make negotiations.

"Tell me who you are and I will." Quickly pulling the gun away from Gibbs's head, Slade aimed at his right hand and pulled the trigger. Gibbs cried out in immense pain. The bullet got lodged in the palm of his hand. Blood pooled out of the wound. The Director struggled to get free and help Gibbs. She stopped instantly when Slade held the gun to her head.

"I did warn him, Director." Slade aimed the gun back at Gibbs again. He had his eyes clenched shut as pain coursed through his hand and up to his elbow. "Would you like me to shoot the other one?" Gibbs clenched his left hand into a fist. He was biting his tongue, trying to move the pain there instead. The man remained silent, knowing Slade was serious. The villain lowered his arm. "I hope you learned a lesson from this, Gibbs." Turning to the right, Slade walked past him. He walked up to the middle row of seats and sat down behind them, propping his legs up on the one in front. "I will have one of my robots bring Dr. Mallard up to fix your hand."

Gibbs was trying to keep his breathing steady. He focused on the download to take his mind off the pain, trying to figure out what Slade wanted with all of those names. Pulling out a small walkie-talkie-looking device, Slade pushed the button on the side and spoke into it.

"Bring up Dr. Mallard."

Meanwhile, down in Autopsy, Palmer was pushing the dead Marine into one of the ice boxes. Ducky was taking off his bloody gloves and throwing them away when a knock came to the door. They both looked over and saw a Slade-bot looking through the window. Neither moved.

"Just stay calm, Mr. Palmer," Ducky said. "They can't get through after the alarm went off and locked us down here. We can leave, but they can't get in."

Sadly, Ducky spoke too soon. When it was ignored, the robot punched right through the window. Palmer and Ducky backed away when it climbed in through the new opening. It landed on its feet and approached them. Palmer stood in front of Ducky to protect him.

"What do you want?"

The robot stopped in the middle of the room and tossed its own tiny walkie-talkie at them. Palmer quickly caught the speaking device with fumbling hands. He jumped when Slade's voice came through.

_"Dr. Mallard, your friend Gibbs would need your medical attention at this time. And do it quickly."_

Ducky came out from behind Palmer and took the Walkie from his hand. He pushed the button. "What have you done to him exactly?" he asked, slightly nervous.

_"Gibbs does not know how to listen to orders."_ Up in MTAC, Slade aimed his gun at Gibbs's shoulder. "I suggest you do the exact opposite."

_"Well I can't very well help him if I don't know what you have done to him."_

"Does this answer your question?"

Moving the gun to aim between Gibbs and the Director, he fired, making them both jump. The bullet hit the floor.

_"You bastard!"_

"Ducky, just do as he says!" Gibbs barked.

The other end was silent for a few seconds. _"I will be there soon, Jethro."_ Ducky tossed the walkie-talkie back at the robot, who caught it easily. Gathering up the essential medical equipment for bullet wounds, the good doctor followed the robot towards the door out of Autopsy. "Stay calm, Mr. Palmer; everything will be fine."

"Y-Yes, Dr. Mallard."

After opening the door, Ducky walked through. Palmer ran over and locked it back up, not wanting the other robots to come in. Due to the elevator being broken, they went the long way around by going through the garage and then heading up from there. The robot pushed Ducky up the stairs and through the front door. They soon walked down the hall that led to the Special Agents' desks. Hearing the footsteps, Tony and Ziva pulled out their guns and hid. Ducky came into view, scaring them both.

"Ducky!" Ziva shouted.

The robot appeared behind him, making them both aim their guns again. Ducky raised his hand to calm them.

"I am quite alright. It is Gibbs we must worry about."

They slowly lowered their guns, keeping a close eye on the robot.

"Do you know what happened?" Tony asked.

He and Ziva stepped off to the side when the robot made Ducky walk.

"I'm afraid the poor fellow was shot," he said as they walked past the Special Agents. The robot and Ducky headed up the stairs to MTAC. "If I find out anything, you will be the _first_ to know."

Tony and Ziva watched reluctantly as Ducky and the robot vanished from sight. The Agents quickly sat down in chairs, feeling exhausted from all of the stress. Abby and McGee soon returned from the vending machines, soda and food in hand.

"Any news?" Abby asked, handing Tony a can of Cola.

"Now don't be frightened, Abby, but the unknown man shot Gibbs," Ziva said as calmly as possible. "Ducky was just through here to tend to him."

Abby almost dropped everything in her arms. "Gibbs was shot? Oh no!"

Tony quickly took the stuff from Abby, worried that she would drop everything on her feet. "Abby, stay calm," he said, putting everything on his desk. "Ducky can fix up a bullet wound, I promise." Grabbing his rolling chair, Tony pulled it into the walkway and sat down with his soda and a bag of potato chips. "I call a campfire." Everyone brought over a chair and gave Tony their full attention. "We need to see how many thugs this guy brought. Call Palmer and ask him to count the ones downstairs." Ziva called him in. Palmer did a quick count, making out at least twenty. "We need to see how many he has outside. McGee, check through the windows; Ziva, check the outside surveillance footage."

The two Agents did what their temporary boss told them to do. Abby was fiddling with her hands, feeling scared.

"There must be thousands of them out there, Tony," McGee said upon his return.

"Yes, it seems this man can take down the entire Taliban if he wanted to," Ziva confirmed.

Everyone sighed.

"Why isn't the army here helping us?" Abby suddenly asked. "It's their sworn duty isn't it?"

Tony thought about it for a moment. "Unless of course he knew we would send out a distress call and blocked our message from reaching anyone." Everyone looked at him fearfully. He grinned sheepishly. "Or they're just too busy."

Abby placed her face in her hands. Meanwhile, Ducky had numbed the pain in Gibbs's hand before removing the bullet. Slade was still sitting in the seat he had chosen, watching them closely. The download was only at two percent.

"When my robot takes you back to Autopsy, if you so much as breathe a word about what you have seen to the Special Agents—" He aimed his gun at Ducky's head, who looked fearfully at him. "—Then my robot will kill you, Dr. Mallard."

Ducky looked back at Gibbs's hand. He wrapped it up in sterile bandages and then put everything back in his bag. Ducky then stood up.

"You won't get away with this you know." Ducky turned back to the door. "Don't worry, Jethro; we'll figure something out. Like we always do," he added in a whisper.

The robot followed Dr. Mallard back out, down the stairs, and around the desks this time. Tony jumped up. Ducky mouthed something to him. Giving a short nod, Tony carefully sat back down. Once he and the robot were finally gone, he turned to the others.

"Gibbs's hand is fine, the army is a bunch of robots, and the guy is downloading names." Everyone gaped at Tony. "What?"

"You can read lips?" McGee asked.

"Since when?" Ziva added.

"It doesn't matter!" Tony practically yelled. "At least we know what this guy is trying to do."

"Yes, but download names for what?"

"Maybe he's looking for someone," Abby suggested.

"Then why download every name stored on the database?" McGee asked. "You can just search for a name by typing it in."

"Maybe he doesn't know the name of this person he is trying to find," Ziva said.

"Or he wants to make sure the information he wants doesn't get seen by someone else," Tony said. "I mean, he's been secretive enough already."

The team was about to spit out more ideas when Ziva heard something. She ignored the others to listen.

"Can you guys hear that?"

The others closed their mouths and listened. Abby's eyes widened in joy.

"Someone is coming to rescue the Director and Gibbs!"

"Ziva," Tony said, jumping up, "check the surveillance on the roof. There's a helicopter pad on top."

Nodding, Ziva went to her desk and tried to check the cameras outside. "He probably disabled the cameras on the roof."

Tony pulled out his gun. "Then we wait to see if they are friends or enemies."

About a minute after he said this, they heard footsteps approaching from the front. McGee, Ziva, and Tony pulled out their guns and waited. They quickly backed away in surprise when Starfire came flying through. Soon the other Titans appeared, Robin in front. The Special Agents were apparently dreaming up the exact same thing. Who were these teenagers? Abby noticed Raven and could hardly contain her excitement. Robin stepped forward.

"We got your distress message," he said, pulling out his yellow communicator and showing them the big T in the middle. "We're the Teen Titans. Where is Slade?"


	3. Chapter 3

The NCIS group stared in awe at these strange teens. An awkward silence filled the room as they looked at each one at a time.

"Wh-Who're you again?" Tony asked, feeling slightly intimidated.

"The Teen Titans," Robin repeated, putting his communicator back in his belt. "We're from Jump City, California. I'm Robin, the Titans' leader. These are my friends Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven. We're here to help. Now, where is Slade?"

"Slade? You mean that masked freak?"

"Yes, him," Robin said, his eyes narrowed. "Where is he?"

Tony turned towards the next floor and pointed. "He's holding the Director and Gibbs up in MTAC. We can't gain access. And our friends Jimmy Palmer and Dr. Mallard are in Autopsy room with the freak's men."

"They're not men, they're robots," Robin said, referring to the army of Slade-bots. "Slade built them. They're easy to take down if you know their weaknesses." Robin turned to Starfire and Raven. "You guys go down into Autopsy and rescue the others. I'm going to try contacting Slade; see what he wants."

"He's been downloading names," McGee said.

Robin turned to him. "Names?"

"Yes, but we don't know of who or why," Ziva put in.

Robin placed his chin in his hand in thought, his brow furrowed. He then turned to Beast Boy. "Turn into a fly and enter MTAC through the vents. Listen to what is going on inside."

Nodding, Beast Boy turned into a bird and flew up towards MTAC. The Special Agents had looks of shock on their faces.

"What are you guys anyway?" Tony asked. He pointed first to Starfire and then Cyborg. "She can fly, he's half machine, and that green kid just turned into a bird."

McGee patted Tony on the shoulder. "Didn't you ever read comic books, Tony?"

Robin cleared his throat, motioning to each remaining Titan in turn. "Starfire is an alien princess from the planet Tameran, Cyborg is half robot, Beast Boy is an animal shape shifter, and Raven is half demon. We're super heroes."

Abby's eyes were bugging out of her head when she heard about Raven. "You're half demon? That is so cool! Once my lab is accessible, I will so show you my Gothic collection!"

Tony grabbed Abby's shoulder and pulled her back when he noticed Raven glare at her lightly. "Whatever happened to worrying about Gibbs?"

Abby punched him in the shoulder, making him cringe. "I am worried about Gibbs!"

"If you'll excuse me," Robin said. They looked at him. "I will be up at MTAC. Starfire and Raven will take care of the robots downstairs. Where's the elevator?"

Abby pointed to the hole. "Those robots destroyed it instead of taking it. And can I go with you? I need to make sure my possessions are okay. Oh, and Ducky and Jimmy too."

"Just don't get in Starfire and Raven's way," Robin said. "They'll let you know when the basement is safe."

"Abs, go show them the elevator," Tony said. He then looked at Ziva. "Ziva, see if you can access one of the computers in MTAC with McGee's help. We have to see what's going on up there." Ziva and McGee went to Gibbs's desk and did what they were told. Abby showed Starfire and Raven the elevator. They both flew down, Starfire carrying Abby in her arms. Once it was mostly quiet, Tony turned back to Robin. "Thanks for coming."

Robin was very serious now. "I don't know what Slade wants, but we will find out."

"How do you even know this guy?"

"Slade has been targeting Jump City for a few years now," Robin started to explain. "He's smart, fast, and has been trying to take over Jump City. We're the only ones who have ever been able to stop him. The only problem is he keeps getting away. Knowing Slade, he's downloading these names to destroy top military personnel and world leaders."

Tony nodded in understanding. "Then we better stop him without getting Director and Gibbs killed." He held his hand out. "My name is Tony, and as of now, I'm leading the Special Agents until Gibbs is back."

Robin shook his hand. "It will be great working for the NCIS."

"Tony, we're having technical difficulties," McGee said.

Ending the handshake, Tony looked at them. "Like what?"

McGee looked at him. "The download in MTAC is taking away most of the power in the whole building. We don't have enough fire power."

Robin turned to Cyborg. "You help them get more power while Tony and I go up to MTAC."

"You got it man." He walked over to the desk. "My name is Cyborg. I can give you an electrical boost."

While they worked on the computer, Tony and Robin went up the stairs. Reaching the door seconds later, Tony handed him a headset. The Titan leader placed it on his head. Whipping out his communicator, he searched for any communications that Slade may have. He soon found one and transferred it to the headset. He closed the communicator.

"What the hell are you doing now, Slade?"

Inside MTAC, Beast Boy was a fly on the wall, staring down at the room. He watched as Slade took his walkie-talkie and held it up to his mouth.

"Ah, Robin, I am glad to hear your voice again." Beast Boy's eyes widened slightly when he pointed his gun at Shepard's head. "As for what I am doing, that is none of your concern."

_"With you, it's always my concern, Slade."_

"Believe me, Robin, once I have what I want, NCIS and the Titans will never hear from me again."

Robin's brow furrowed. "You mean all of those names you're downloading?"

Tony waved frantically at him. "Ducky will be killed. He wasn't supposed to tell us or that robot would kill him."

Robin placed his hand over the microphone. "The girls will take care of it; promise."

Taking his hand off, Robin waited.

_"It seems the good doctor disobeyed me,"_ Slade said. _"And, knowing your team, Starfire and Raven have taken care of my robots down in the Autopsy room. No matter."_ Slade stood up, walked down the steps, and stood in front of Gibbs. He placed the gun to his other hand. "I am sure Gibbs won't be missing his hand."

_"I wouldn't hurt him, Slade. Beast Boy will stop you if you do."_

Slade quickly aimed at the fly and fired. Beast Boy quickly flew down and turned into a spider. He dropped to the floor and then quickly scurried behind a computer.

"You always were a clever little boy, Robin." Slade glanced at the screen. The download was at ten percent. "I would make yourself comfortable. I am afraid there are just too many people in the world."

_"Tell me what you want."_

"I would love to, but, like I said, it is none of your concern. At least not right now. I will contact you again." Before Robin could say anything else, Slade turned off the walkie-talkie. He returned to his chair and sat down. "The download will take all night. I suggest you get some rest. You are going to need it."

Gibbs and the Director didn't reply. Outside the door, Robin sighed, taking off the headset.

"I hate to admit it, but he's right," he said, heading for the stairs. Tony followed. "He won't be coming out any time soon and we can't get in without risking the lives of your friends." They reached the desks. The computer was running fast and smoothly. Tony grabbed two chairs and sat down in one. Robin took the other. "While we wait for the download to finish, we'll come up with a plan for when he does come out."

Tony stretched and yawned. "If we can figure out how long the download takes, we can all be up there waiting for the doors to open."

"Slade would suspect an ambush," Robin countered. "He would summon his robot army before coming out of that room."

"What about Beast Boy?"

"He can take care of himself. We've handled Slade enough times to know what he's capable of. We know what to avoid and when to act. Beast Boy may be the youngest out of all of us, but he's as smart as any normal teen."

"How do you know so much about Slade?" Tony asked. "How did you get involved with him to begin with?"

Robin was silent momentarily. His brow furrowed slightly. "A few months after the Titans formed, Slade targeted us. He sent his minions after us and I became obsessed with who he was. I am one of the greatest teen detectives out there, but he's still such a mystery. To get closer to him in order to find out what his plans were, I created a thief known as Red X. I stole three chips that he had wanted to get his hands on in exchange for knowing his plan. I was able to fool my friends, but Slade figured it out easily. I lost my team's trust for a while for going behind their backs. I was still determined to stop Slade and his plan, but my strategy backfired on me. He created a Chronoton Detonator to separate me and my friends. I went after him alone and he told me what he was really after."

"…So what was he after?" Tony asked when he didn't continue.

Robin stared at him a few seconds longer before reverting his gaze. "Slade wanted an apprentice and he chose me."

Tony blinked a few times. "So you worked for him?"

Robin looked at him. "Yes, but he blackmailed me first. The detonator was fake. My team had been hit with a beam of light that carried small bugs called nanoprobes. They attach themselves to your bloodstream and if activated, they destroy you from the inside out. If I didn't agree to his terms, then the Titans would die. I couldn't let that happen."

Tony smiled. "Well, what are friends for?"

Robin cracked a smile and nodded. "Right. Anyway, I eventually got away from him when I put the probes into my body. Slade hates losing as much as I do. If he let the probes kill me, then he would no longer have an apprentice."

Tony chuckled. "Sounds like he got butt hurt over it."

"Heh, yeah."

Robin was about to say something else when voices from the elevator entered the room. He and Tony looked over to see Raven coming up with Palmer in her hands. Starfire soon emerged with Ducky.

"I am surprised to see someone like you lift a fat old man like me."

They touched down before Raven left to get Abby. Starfire smiled at him.

"I am stronger than I look."

Ducky chuckled. "Yes, I can see that." Raven soon returned with Abby in her hands. Ducky pushed his hair back. They appeared in the desk area. "Any news on Gibbs and Jenny?"

"Yeah, they're okay for now," Tony said. "Did Abby, Starfire, and Raven tune you in on who they are?"

"Yes, they have," Ducky replied. "Beast Boy is in MTAC, is what they told me."

Robin stood up and stepped up to Ducky, extending his hand. "I'm Robin, leader of the Teen Titans. We're here to help."

Ducky shook his hand. "Good to know." He lowered his arm and then sighed. "I guess I should call my mother, telling her I can't be home tonight."

Ducky went to McGee's phone desk to call Mrs. Mallard. Robin filled the others in on what was going on.

"The download will probably take the rest of the night. We should get some rest to be ready for a fight if Slade sends his robots in to stop us from stopping his escape. I'm sure Beast Boy will come out once the download is close to completion."

"If he manages not to sleep in," Raven muttered.

Robin decided to ignore that comment. "Titans, get some rest."

Each Titan found a comfortable spot to sit in. McGee stretched and yawned.

"I can't get past the security into the MTAC computers. Sorry guys."

"Well, Beast Boy is our look out for now," Robin said, sitting back in his chair. "If something bad happens to the Director or Gibbs, he'll inform us immediately."

The room soon became quiet except for the sound of Ducky's voice trying to speak to his very old mother.

"Good night, mother," he said, slamming the phone back down on the base. He came out from behind the desk, bringing the chair out. "Sorry about that. My mother is a bit senile. She insists to stay with me instead of going into a nursing home."

Ducky sat down and yawned. McGee headed for the hall.

"Anyone else hungry?"

The Titans declined. Abby was thirsty, so she went with him to bring stuff back.

"This would have to be the _strangest_ campfire we've had yet, Tony," Ziva said.

Tony yawned and leaned back in his chair. "Tell me about it, Ziva."

McGee and Abby returned with more food supplies and water. Everyone was quiet as some fell asleep for the night. Starfire had her head on Raven's shoulder. Robin's eyes slowly drooped down and then closed. However, when it dealt with Slade, sleep was _not_ an option.


	4. Chapter 4

It was dead quiet in the NCIS building. All but four were sleeping, one trying to stay awake even though his eyes kept drooping. Beast Boy shook his furry head, his mouse ears flopping around.

_'Come on Beast Boy; stay awake.'_

Meanwhile, in his chair, Gibbs kept flexing his hurting hand whenever it spasmed. The Morphine had worn off an hour ago. It didn't help that the robot that had tied their hands tied them too tight. The wire was pressed so hard against his skin that a bruise was forming and his blood circulation was almost blocked off. He glanced at Jenny, who was asleep with her head hanging forward. She would be hurting in the morning. Gibbs then looked at the download. It was now at thirty percent. He guessed it was only two in the morning. Without being able to sleep, the night felt like it would last for days.

"Still awake, are we, Gibbs?"

"Kind of hard to sleep when you're hand is hurting. I wonder whose fault _that_ is."

Slade snorted quietly. "If you had kept your mouth shut, there wouldn't be a hole in it. Do not blame me for your disobedience."

"I don't obey dirtbags like you," Gibbs retorted. "Especially not terrorists."

"I am not a terrorist."

"Then what the hell do you want with those names?!" Gibbs barked, not really meaning to.

Beast Boy squeaked, not actually meaning it. His ears were ringing from Gibbs's voice.

"In due time you will know," Slade said. "Unless, of course, you continue to disobey my commands."

Gibbs clenched his hands into fists, his right screaming in pain. He quickly relaxed them. If he mouthed off again, he knew he would be dead.

"Will you at least let Jenny go?"

"On a first name basis with her, are we?"

"More or less…" Gibbs was, of course, talking about what he and the Director had done many years ago… "Will you let her go?"

Slade was silent momentarily. He looked at the download, which was at thirty-one percent. "I might," he said with a smirk. "If you can hold out until fifty percent completion that is."

Gibbs swallowed. Could he hold out for almost an hour? "We will see then, won't we?"

"Yes, we will."

Beast Boy yawned. Turning into a fly, he flew towards the vent and zoomed through. Within seconds, he was out in the main lobby, landing on the floor behind Robin in his chair. He morphed back and stepped up to his side, poking him in the shoulder.

"Dude, Robin." Robin bolted up. He had been halfway between asleep and awake. "Sorry dude."

Robin blinked a few times to adjust his eyes. "What is it Beast Boy?" he asked tiredly.

The green teen yawned. "The download is at thirty-one percent. Slade told the old guy that if he can wait until fifty percent completion, he would probably let the woman go."

Robin rubbed at his masked eyes as he sat up straighter in his chair. "The "old guy" is Gibbs and the woman is Director Shepard. Since I'm up, I'll wait and see if Slade lets her go. You should get some sleep."

Beast Boy gave the thumbs up. "Okay; night."

Standing up, Robin moved the chair behind Tony's desk and sat down at his computer. Beast Boy found a spot next to Cyborg and curled up as a dog on the floor. He instantly fell asleep. Finding a news website, Robin looked to see if word had gotten out that NCIS had been taken over, but there was nothing. He rubbed his eyes again.

Robin's communicator suddenly beeped. Jumping in slight surprise, he fumbled for it out of his belt. He flipped open the lid. There was static for a few seconds before the screen turned black. Robin frowned in confusion for a second until Slade's voice came through.

_"As I am sure the changeling has told you, if Gibbs does exactly what I say for another hour, I might let the Director go."_

"I prefer 'will' instead of 'might', Slade," Robin said.

_"Yes, Robin, I know. Why must I repeat myself when I say I know you and what you are going to say or do, hm?"_

Robin snorted, annoyed. "You don't know me at all. You just think you do. Until I see or hear some proof-"

_"Oh believe me,_ _ **Dick**_ _, I know you,"_ Slade said with a smirk. Robin stared at the screen with surprised, but narrowed eyes. _"_ _…_ _I daresay I won't be seeing your parents' names on this list."_

Before Slade could say anything else, Robin slammed his communicator shut and then slammed it onto the desk. He buried his eyes in his hands with his arms propped onto the smooth, metal surface.

"Dammit…" he muttered.

Slade placed his communicator back in his belt. He smirked triumphantly, knowing that he could get under the boy's skin so easily. Gibbs's brow was furrowed.

"That boy you were talking to." Slade looked up at him. "He sounded like he knows you."

"We have known each other for three years to be exact," Slade said, leaning back and folding his arms over his chest. "He used to be my apprentice. I had given him everything, all my knowledge, my power, but all he cared about was his friends."

"And what's so wrong about that, exactly?"

"In this world, Gibbs, the only thing you should care about is yourself," Slade explained. "At some point you stop having a friend that you have known for years. They only hold you back. Robin still has not and will not accept that fact about life. I have cared only for myself and I am doing just fine. I do not believe in the term."

Gibbs didn't know what to say. The way Slade had said it, he knew it would be hard to change his mind. Gibbs glanced at the download. In forty-five minutes it would hit fifty percent. He needed to make sure Jenny was let go and back into safety.


	5. Chapter 5

The snapping sound of a plastic lid resounded around Tony's desk area. Robin kept glaring lightly at the screen of his communicator before snapping the lid shut and opening it again almost half a minute later. The next forty-five minutes had gone by very slowly. He was waiting in anticipation for Slade to call back. Finally getting annoyed, Robin snapped the lid shut and tossed it unceremoniously onto the desk. He sighed heavily, getting more annoyed each passing second. It was about three in the morning now and everyone downstairs was sleeping. The Titan leader himself was nodding off, but he kept jerking himself awake. He _needed_ Slade to call and make a deal.

Robin's head shot up from the desk when the Teen Titans ringtone came from the desk a foot from his hand. Quickly snatching his communicator up, he flipped the lid and pushed the button that turned it on. He was silent, waiting for Slade to speak first.

 _"_ _Ah, good, you are awake."_ Robin glared at the comm. _"The download has reached fifty-four percent. After much consideration, I have decided to let the Director go."_

"About damn time you made a decision," Robin said, annoyance towards the man clearly evident in his tone of voice.

 _"_ _However, I have a condition,"_ Slade continued. _"In exchange for the Director's release, I will require someone from your team to take her place."_

Robin had a look of surprise behind his glare. "That is not what we-!"

 _"_ _Correction: we never agreed on_ _ **anything**_ _the last time we spoke."_ Robin wasn't the only one furious about this. Gibbs's hands clenched into fists. _"If you don't exchange one of the Titans, then the deal is off. But I_ _ **am**_ _being generous. I am allowing you to decide who to exchange rather than me. You have ten minutes to make a decision. Call me when you do."_

Robin was about to retort, but Slade cut the connection. He was still a few seconds more before standing up and chucking the communicator across the room. It hit the wall above Cyborg and Beast Boy, making them jump awake. It hit the green teen in the head.

"D-Dude, you woke me up," he said with a groan.

"Yeah man, what did you throw your communicator for?" Cyborg asked. "It better not be broken."

Robin swallowed down his anger and tried to speak as normally as possible. "Slade called and made a deal." Some of the others started to stir. "He will let the Director go, but in exchange, he wants one of the Titans."

Beast Boy got into a crouch with one hand in front of him, glaring, as he began to rise. "Dude, seriously?"

"I wish it was a bunch of crap, but it isn't," Robin said. "We have ten minutes to decide who goes. Instead of wasting more time, I'm going. And I don't want any protests in the matter." Beast Boy and Cyborg both shut their mouths. "Tell the others when they get up later. I have to call Slade back with my answer."

The two friends nodded. "Okay," they both said.

Nodding, Robin walked over to his communicator, leaned over to pick it up, and then stood up straight. Flipping the lid, he found Slade's signal and then pushed the button.

_"Y_ _es, Robin?"_

"I'll be taking Director Shepard's place," he said, deadpan. "Is that alright with you?"

Robin had said that last part sarcastically.

_"_ _Yes, Robin, that is fine. Come up to the door, alone, and a robot will let you in and the Director out. Understand?"_

Robin was quiet for a moment. "Yes, I understand."

_"G_ _ood boy."_

"Shut up, Slade."

Robin snapped the lid shut before the villain could say anything else. Beast Boy patted his shoulder.

"We'll plan on how to get to you and Gibbs without anyone getting hurt."

"Yeah man. You can count on us," Cyborg added.

Robin nodded. "Stay on the first landing and wait for the Director."

"You got it."

Robin headed for the stairs, Cyborg coming up behind him. He stayed at the bottom while his leader walked up the next flight and approached the door. Stepping up to it, Robin knocked and then stepped back twice. He waited a long time before the door creaked open. On the surface he looked calm, but he was actually enraged by this whole deal. A Slade-bot came through, pulling a tired Director Shepard out with it. Another bot came out and stepped up to Robin. It held its hand out to him.

"It wants anything dangerous from your belt," Jenny said tiredly.

Inside, Gibbs was staring at the door, ignoring the gun aimed at the left side of his head. Almost a minute passed before he saw Robin walk in, the robot that took all of his weapons coming up behind him.

"Good of you to join us, Robin," Slade said next to Gibbs.

Robin glared at him. The robot closed the door and then resealed it. It then pushed the teen down the steps.

"You can put the gun down," Robin said, stopping a few feet from Gibbs.

"I'm afraid not." Robin gritted his teeth. "Restrain him."

Grabbing his arm painfully, the Slade-bot pulled Robin towards the chair beside Gibbs. It sat him down forcefully and then began to tie his wrists to the arm rests.

"Is this really necessary?" Robin asked, annoyed, not moving an inch.

Slade lowered his gun. "Yes, it is." The robot tied his ankles and then walked away. Slade walked past Gibbs to stand in front of him. "To ensure I get out of here, you and Gibbs will stay tied until your friends arrive. Any plans on the changeling coming in through the vent will fail. It has been blocked off."

Robin snorted. "They'll try their best to stop you from escaping. Despite the annoying robots you have a warehouse full of."

"You still underestimate me, child," Slade said. "I will escape from here, with the download. No one will be able to stop me."

"You're still as cocky as ever I see."

"At least my plans succeed. And I would avoid insulting me or Gibbs will have another hole in his hand."

"If you're going to hurt anyone then it better be me," Robin snapped.

Slade snorted. "Yes, always so noble."

"You should take a leaf out of my book then!"

Gibbs continued to stare at Robin, trying to figure out where his strength came from. Despite Slade having a gun in his hand, he was talking back to him without fear. It reminded him of former Special Agent Todd.

"You really should take a leaf out of mine, Robin," Slade said. "If you weren't so sympathetic, maybe you would have been able to stop me the minute you entered the room. But instead, you were worried about Gibbs's safety. You are too soft and that is what makes you weak." Robin continued to glare at Slade, not knowing what to say. "That is what I thought."

Turning, Slade walked by, went up to his seat, and sat back down. Robin turned his gaze down to the floor, his hands curled into fists. Gibbs swallowed.

"Hey, kid," he muttered to him.

Robin glanced at him. "Special Agent Gibbs?"

"That's correct. Are you always this way towards Slade?"

"How exactly?" Robin asked.

"Despite him having a gun, you back talked him without fear."

Robin was silent momentarily. He then looked away. "He tries getting under my skin and I try to get under his. I can't find a weakness, but he always finds mine. He's been my enemy for a long time."

Gibbs looked at the download. It was now almost sixty percent. "Any ideas on what he wants?"

Robin, also, looked at the download. He blinked. "I thought he might want to try and figure out my identity, but he already knows." He paused, thinking extra hard. "I honestly don't know."

Gibbs exhaled. "He's not a terrorist. Or at least he claims he isn't."

"He's hellbent on taking over the world, like most psychopaths. Slade claims he isn't _that_ either. I don't know much about his past like he knows mine. There could be several reasons. Maybe he's trying to murder people in the government secretly, so that he can't be traced. He could be trying to find someone that angered him in the past and wants revenge. I wouldn't have a single clue who though. Or maybe he's just bored."

"Maybe he needs to quit his day job," Gibbs said. He clenched his hurt hand tightly. "Damn…"

Glancing at his hand, Robin could see the blood soaking the bandages a dark red, almost black. Blood actually dripped off Gibbs's fingertips.

"He'll pay for that," Robin muttered.

"Whispering escape plans, are we?" Both Robin and Gibbs jumped. Looking over their shoulders, they both glared at Slade, who had been sitting behind them for the last three minutes. "If you are quiet until seventy-five or eighty percent I will bring Dr. Mallard back in for your hand. I am in a generous mood today."

"How kind of you," Robin said with a roll of his eyes.

Slade instantly slammed the butt of his gun against the back of the boy's head hard. Robin leaned over in pain, growling behind clenched teeth.

"I was _talking_ to Gibbs. Back talk me again and I _will_ agree to your proposal."

Robin swallowed down the lump in his throat. Gibbs kept his mouth closed. The next hour was going to take forever.


	6. Chapter 6

Abby handed Director Shepard a coffee cup of tea, steam rising out of the top. She was sitting at Gibbs's desk, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She took a drink before setting it down, pushing the keyboard back.

"Your friend was generous enough to take my place."

"That's one reason why Robin is a good leader," Raven said, standing by McGee's desk. "He puts himself in place of others, for their sake. Which is exactly why he joined Slade once before; to keep us safe. To save us, he placed the nanobots in his own body, giving Slade no chance of winning."

"Gibbs is the same way," Tony said. "I can see their similarities just by looking at them. Gibbs may seem cold, but he cares about everyone in his circle."

"Yeah, sounds just like Robin," Cyborg said. "Unfortunately, it's part of his downfall. He's the world's greatest young detective and we could use his intellect right about now."

Silence filled the area. Everyone but Cyborg, Raven, Tony, Abby, and Director Shepard were still asleep. Abby sat down, yawning.

"So, now what?"

Cyborg rubbed the top of his bald head with his full hand. "Well, we still have a long way before the download finishes. We should conduct a few plans while we wait. Any ideas?"

Grabbing McGee's chair, Raven sat down after pulling it out. "If I could get into Slade's head, I would be able to find out his plans. But he has barriers that I can't get past. There's too many scenarios and it will take awhile to write them all down."

Tony pulled up to his computer and opened a program. A window with a bunch of white boxes on a gray background appeared.

"Give me some ideas and I'll type them in." Cyborg joined him to look at what he had. "If you input the information, it will give you a ratio of success. So what should we input first?"

"Well, we first need to come up with a plan on rescuing Gibbs and Robin," Raven said. "Slade will either leave them there while he tries to escape or use them as human shields. Not to mention he will bring his army in at some point, so that he can escape. We'll need to destroy as many as we can."

Nodding, Tony began to type steps in order in the boxes. Meanwhile, in MTAC, Gibbs was trying to ignore the pain in his hand. Usually he could handle it, but this felt like torture. Biting his tongue off seemed like a good idea at the time. The download was at sixty-eight percent. It would be almost another fifty minutes before it reached seventy-five.

"Damn hand," Gibbs muttered.

Robin looked at him out of the corner of his eye. His hand was shaking uncontrollably. Gibbs was covered in sweat and it looked like he would pass out from the pain any minute. Gritting his teeth, the Boy Wonder contemplated whether or not to tell Slade the situation. He swallowed.

"This may be a dumb question, but would you consider untying his bleeding hand?"

"Yes, that is a dumb question," Slade said. There was a pause. "That means no."

"I know what it means."

"Then be quiet."

Robin glared in annoyance. The download hit sixty-nine when he glanced at it. "Alright, you said forty minutes ago that you might bring Dr. Mallard back in around seventy-five or eighty percent," he stated.

Slade leaned back in his chair. "Yes, I did. And your point?"

Robin turned his head to look at him out of the corner of his eye. "Would you consider seventy percent instead?"

Slade smirked softly. "Trying to negotiate when I am in charge? That is disappointing. When I say seventy-five or eighty percent, then it will _stay_ in that range. The two of you negotiate on my terms. So no, Robin, I will not consider it."

Well, it was worth a try. That didn't mean Robin wasn't more pissed off then he had been before. This was just ridiculous.

"Hey, calm down," Gibbs said quietly. Robin's hands were curled into tight fists on the arm rests. "I don't like this situation anymore than you do, but if we fight back, you will have to continue understanding the pain in my hand. If you are like me, then you will hate yourself for making a mistake."

Robin's hands were clenched a few seconds longer before his fingers relaxed. After counting backwards from ten, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His eyes opened back up.

"You're right." Robin looked at Gibbs. "If I caused this offer to die, I would hate myself for it." He looked at the floor, his eyes narrowed. "I have trouble controlling my anger, that's all."

"If I'm not working on my boat, anger gets the best of me," Gibbs said. "If you don't have something like that to help you suppress it, the anger takes control."

Robin understood that. Counting back from ten helped him, but he usually couldn't use that method in time before blowing up. If Gibbs hadn't been there, he would have yelled and made threats at Slade. This was not the time nor the place to let his anger out. There was too much at stake.

"I swear, Slade will not get away with this."

Gibbs believed him. He had sworn the same thing in the first few minutes Slade had him and Jenny held hostage. Even both teams swore with their lives to stop the villain at all costs. If they kept that hope, then it would happen. After another excruciating twenty-five minutes of pain, the download was just hitting seventy-four percent. Slade started to rise from his chair.

"In just a few minutes, I will let Dr. Mallard in." He walked down the steps to stand beside Robin. "However, you, Robin, will do the work while he instructs you from the door. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

Slade motioned for two robots. They stepped forward, awaiting instructions. "Retrieve Dr. Mallard from downstairs." The robots turned around and left. While they did that, Slade cut the wire around Robin's wrists and ankles before yanking him to his feet. He held his gun to his temple. The robots soon returned, one staying outside with Ducky. The other came in with his medical bag. It shut the door behind it before walking over to Slade. He took it and then handed it off to Robin. "You have five minutes." Nodding, Robin stepped up to Gibbs and moved down to his knees, setting the bag beside him. Slade pulled out his walkie-talkie and held the button. "Dr. Mallard, you have five minutes to instruct Robin on what needs to be done."

Slade released the button. Outside, the robot handed Ducky his walkie-talkie. He held the button.

_"Robin, you will need to remove the bandages. If the wound is bleeding, you need to clean it with the antiseptic **Betadine** that's in my bag. There should be seven inch by five inch cleaning pads on the bottom. Poor the **Betadine** on them and clean the wound."_

"I got it," Robin said, looking inside the bag.

His eye landed on a surgical knife while he felt around for the pads. Looking away, he found the bottle of _Betadine_. He pretended to pick up the pads last, but reached for the knife at the same time. Something clicked behind his head and he froze.

"Robin, I may be distracted, but I am not stupid." Robin didn't say anything. "Drop the knife." Swallowing, Robin let go of the handle and then pulled out the pads and bottle. "You have four minutes."

Exhaling, Robin set the bottle and sterilized pads down beside him. Staying on one knee, he slowly turned Gibbs's hand over and carefully unraveled the old bandages. They were soaked in blood the closer he got to the skin. Gibbs's fingers twitched as the air hit the open wound, making the pain impossibly worse. Being used to injuries like this, Robin hurriedly opened the _Betadine_ bottle and poured it on one of the pads, soaking it. He held Gibbs's hand steady by holding his fingers out straight. He started wiping off the blood, making sure not to get any back in the wound. When it was almost entirely cleaned, Robin went back to the bag to grab the roll of bandages. The _Betadine_ had to air dry out before covering the wound.

Once the hand was wrapped securely, Slade held the walkie-talkie button. "Next step, Dr. Mallard."

_"Now, look inside for an empty syringe and a small bottle filled with Morphine. Fill it to nineteen milligrams. On the inside part of the wrist, find a vein to stick the needle in. If the Morphine doesn't work within five minutes, let me know."_

Looking back in the bag, Robin had to move some things around to find the glass bottle and a syringe with a plastic cover on the needle. Having been hit with Morphine once or twice, he knew how to use it. Turning the bottle upside down at an angle, he stuck the needle into the cork top and pulled the plunger down. He filled it to nineteen milligrams before pulling the needle out and setting the bottle down on the floor. Finding a good vein on Gibbs's wrist, he inserted the needle and pushed on the plunger, draining the fluid. It entered Gibbs's blood stream, flowing towards the area that hurt.

"Done," Robin said.

"Put the syringe and bottle in the bag and then stand up and step away," Slade said. "No sudden movements either." Putting the items back in the bag and then closing it, Robin slowly stood up and took two slow steps back. A robot grabbed the bag and headed for the door. Slade held the walkie-talkie button. "Yo a're dismissed, Dr. Mallard."

_"Is it working?"_

Slade held the button.

"It's working, Duck," Gibbs said, his hand relaxing.

Slade turned off his walkie-talkie before Ducky could say anything else. A few seconds later, the two robots returned, resealing the door.

"Robin. Sit." Gritting his teeth, Robin returned to his chair and sat down. Slade put his gun and walkie-talkie away. A robot retied the boy to the arm rests. "Cut the wire around Gibbs's right hand." Turning around, Slade walked up the steps and returned to his seat. The robot used its claws to cut the wire. "See what cooperating does for you, Robin?"

The teen glared at the floor, keeping his mouth shut.

"Want me to thank you?" Gibbs asked sarcastically.

"It wouldn't hurt."

Gibbs looked at Robin. "Remind me to smack him when this is over."

Robin turned his head to look at him, looking somewhat surprised. Gibbs just chuckled at the response before leaning back and closing his eyes. Blinking, Robin looked at the download. It turned seventy-nine percent. MTAC grew quiet quickly. Robin was thinking on a plan, hoping the others were doing the same. The night seemed to last longer and longer. Robin wished it would end. Something suddenly hit him.

"So, who from your past are you looking for? Anyone specific?"

There was a long pause.

"Honestly, Robin, I am disappointed. It has taken you this long to figure it out?"

Robin jerked his head around to glare at him. "What else would you want with names? Not to use for ransom. I know you better than that. You're looking for someone. Someone who pissed you off. So who is it? Who are you looking for?"

Slade smirked. "You are just going to have to figure that out yourself. But believe me, you never will."

Robin stared suspiciously at him, trying to think. If Slade was looking for someone, there was always a search function on database programs. So why go through all the trouble downloading every person still alive in the world? Looking away, Robin closed his eyes, thinking harder. What was he missing?

_You are just going to have to figure that out yourself. But you never will._

Robin's eyes shot open. "You're looking for someone you don't know." Slade didn't reply. Robin looked at him again. "You don't know their name, do you? You don't remember who they are or where they are. You're downloading all the names, taking it back to wherever it is you have been hiding, and are going to look at every name and photo until you find the person you are looking for. All in the safety of your hideout."

Slade was impressed. "Give the boy a pat on the back. Yes, Robin, you are correct. But do you know _why_ I want to find them?"

"Revenge."

It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes Robin, revenge. That is all you will ever know. You can try and think of every possible reason, but you will never figure out what I want revenge for."

"I can try," Robin said.

"Don't waste your time," Slade said. "Now be quiet. As you can see, there is only nineteen percent left. I wager two or three more hours, in which I will summon my army to distract yours and Gibbs's teams while I make my escape, with the download."

Robin snorted, turning his head back around. "They will find a way. I guarantee it."

"We shall see."


	7. Chapter 7

Robin was glad that his feet weren't bound. It would be hard to walk once he got free if they were. He needed to get to Slade and stop him before he got away. The download was eleven percent away from being done. Gibbs had his eyes closed, trying to get in as much rest as he could. He didn't know if his condition would prevent him from fighting or helping in some way. It didn't look good at this point. Robin sighed.

"Can you at _least_ tell me what time it is?"

"I was enjoying the quiet for the last hour," Slade said. He, too, had his eye closed with his arms folded over his chest. "Just for that, I won't tell you."

Robin glanced at the download. It hit ninety-one percent. Just another hour and a half and Slade would be stopped.

"God I need coffee."

Robin looked at Gibbs, whose eyes were still closed. Robin wondered if he was asleep and dreaming. "I promise you'll get one," he said with a smile.

Gibbs cracked a smirk. "Good."

Turning his head back around, Robin stared at the download. It was nerve racking to see the blue bar move so slowly towards the other end. Freedom was so close, he could practically taste it.

"You finally learned some patience I see." Robin glanced over his shoulder at Slade. He was now taking his gun apart slowly. "About time too." He examined every piece as he took them off. "In forty minutes, I will be summoning my army into the building."

Robin snorted. "We've taken them down before. There's more numbers helping us this time. What makes you think-?"

"Because unlike you, I think several steps ahead in different scenarios," Slade said as he started to put the gun back together. "In every one of those scenarios, I have escaped with the download while you and your friends walk away with your tails in between your legs. You will lose, like you always do."

"If I remember correctly, I beat that stupid blackmail and _you_ lost."

Slade clicked the top back into place, looking up at Robin. "The only way to win is if you stopped me entirely. Either I die or get put into prison. As long as I am walking free, you will lose. You may have won the battle, but the war will never be over."

"We'll see about that."

"It is rude to butt into other people's conversation, Gibbs," Slade said. "I would hate to have to shoot something other than your hand."

"God forbid."

Cocking his gun, Slade aimed it at Robin's left shoulder. The teen glared at him.

"How about every smart ass comment you make, I shoot Robin, hm?" Gibbs was quiet. Slade lowered the gun, pressing the end of the muzzle to his leg. "Good of you to listen to reason, Gibbs."

"At least I don't swear with children around."

Robin felt a little insulted with that. He wasn't a child anymore. Swearing didn't bother him. It was strange to hear Slade do it though.

"That is such a pity."

Robin looked at Gibbs. "Don't worry about me."

"Stop talking," Slade said. Robin looked back at the computer. There was only six percent remaining. By the time it hit ninety-eight percent almost forty-five minutes later, Slade pulled out a detonator and stood up. "I hope your friends are ready. My army is on its way."

Slade pushed the button and then pocketed the detonator. Coming out of the row he was in, he walked down the steps and went to the computer. As he waited for the download to finish, Gibbs sat up straighter. The robots in the room turned to the door and opened it. Robin glanced back and saw them leave, closing the door behind them. The download bar hit one hundred percent. For a minute the computer made sure everything was in order before the bar disappeared. Robin and Gibbs watched Slade typing something. There was a beep after he pressed the Enter key and the disk ejected. Taking it out, he put it away and then turned. He walked towards Gibbs, his gun hanging by his leg. Lifting his arm, he placed the barrel to his forehead.

"I think it is about time you retired."

Gibbs snorted. "Tried it once; didn't like it."

"Then let me make it permanent for you."

Slade was about to pull the trigger when a black blur zoomed through the floor, right under his arm. It knocked it into the air, the bullet entering the ceiling. Rising to the top, the blur turned into the shape of a raven. It turned, flew around to Slade's right side, and knocked into him, forcing him to the side. Quickly recovering, he bolted up the stairs. Letting him get away, the raven landed on the floor by Gibbs's feet and used its beak to cut the wire around his ankles. It then flew onto the seat next to him and broke the wire around his wrist. The raven then freed Robin, who quickly jumped up and headed for the steps.

"Just stay here Gibbs! Raven should be up here soon!"

Robin soon vanished through the door. Raven appeared in MTAC a few seconds later.

"Are you alright?"

Outside, Starfire was throwing starbolts at several robots, Cyborg used his sonic cannon to take down several at once, and Beast Boy was a gorilla, knocking robots down with his massive arms. Tony and McGee were shooting at robots' faces. Ziva was using hand-to-hand combat to take down robots. Stopping by the rail, Robin looked over the edge and saw Slade flipping down the stairs. He waited to see where he would escape from.

Reaching the desk area, Slade dodged a robot that was kicked at him from Beast Boy and then jumped onto Gibbs's desk. He jumped over the man's computer, aiming a spinning kick for the gorilla's face. Beast Boy was sent flying back into Cyborg, knocking them both over. His sonic cannon fired across the floor, hitting the separation around Tony's desk. Slade made his way for the destroyed elevator. Pocketing his gun, he yanked out a grapple. Quickly looking around, Robin calculated the best place to jump from. He turned left and ran around the room.

Placing his foot on the rail when he was aligned with Slade, Robin lifted himself up, yanked out his grapple, and fired it at a support beam. The wire wrapped around it and he pressed the button. Robin flew through the air, over the fighting, and towards the elevator. Slade was firing his grappling hook up towards the top, seconds before Robin touched down in a crouch. Letting go of his tool, he ran across the room. He whipped out a bird-a-rang as he reached the opening. Looking up, he barely saw Slade's foot vanish into the darkness. He quickly threw the projectile up at an angle. He heard it clank against the concrete sides as it ricocheted upward.

Slade heard the bird-a-rang fly past him. It curved around, the blade hitting the wire to his grapple. It sliced through it. Robin jumped back and waited as Slade fell. As he was about to pass the hole, he quickly grabbed the top edge of the door with both hands and jumped through, aiming his feet for Robin's chest. Robin quickly fell backwards, landed on his back, and then rolled over, sliding back on his feet. Landing, Slade instantly spun in a kick, barely nicking his chest. Robin back flipped away.

"I told you you weren't getting away with this."

"The battle isn't over yet."

They both performed a roundhouse kick at the same time, their feet hitting each other. Lifting his other leg, Robin jumped into the air, aiming a kick for the black side of Slade's mask. The villain grabbed his ankle and then flipped him. Robin spun, crashing into the floor. He jerked his right foot at Slade's ankles, tripping him. Falling backwards, the villain broke his fall with his hands and back flipped onto his feet. Placing his hands behind his head, Robin jumped to his feet and whipped out his bo staff. After extending it at his side, he charged.

Slade used his arms to defend himself against Robin's attacks. He stepped back towards the large windows, dodging attacks as he went. When he was a foot away, Slade jumped onto the windowsill and then jumped off, flipping over Robin's head. He landed in a crouch, then quickly spun around in a kick. Robin was just turning to face him when his foot connected with his shoulder. He was knocked clear off his feet from the force of the kick, his back crashing into the window behind him, which shattered and broke under his weight. He fell over a dark green, piney bush and crashed into the grass behind it. His cape protected him from most of the glass.

As Robin tried to get up, Slade stepped towards the window, yanked out a few small pellets from his belt, and tossed them into the computer area. He stepped onto the windowsill and then jumped out, landing safely on the ground. The bombs he had thrown soon exploded, making half of the building shake. After smirking at Robin's strained face as he tried to stand, Slade ran the length of the building, heading for a metal ladder that led to the roof.

When Robin was on his feet, he stumbled back from disorientation. He shook his head, placed a hand to it, and then looked to his left. He jerked his head up when he saw Slade climbing. Ignoring his swimming head, he ran towards the ladder, contracting his staff and putting it away. Slade took two steps at a time, distancing himself easily. When he was only a few feet away from the edge, he jumped off the ladder. Robin was halfway up when Slade grabbed the roof, swung his legs up towards the right, and jumped to his feet. Standing with his feet halfway on the edge, Slade stared down at the teen.

"Well, I must be off. Take care, Robin."

Turning, Slade headed for one of the helicopters that belonged to NCIS. Growling, Robin tried to go up the ladder faster. By the time he reached the top, Slade was feet from a helipad. Robin ran after him as fast as he could, a small stitch already in his side.

"Slade! Stop!"

After hot wiring the helicopter, Slade started to take flight. It slowly rose into the air a few feet and then gained speed. With a high leap, Robin tried to grab the thick leg, but his fingers barely brushed it. He fell and nearly crashed belly first onto the roof. Jerking his head up from his crouched position, Robin saw the helicopter fly away. Cursing at himself for failing, he got up and ran back to the ladder. He went back down, ran to the broken window, and re-entered NCIS headquarters.

Robot, furniture, and computer parts littered the floor around the computer area. The carpets were black in various places where the explosions took place. Dust and debris was in the air. Coughing a bit, Robin made his way through. He waved his hand in front of his face to clear the air from it.

"Titans! Tony! Ziva! Anyone!" No one answered. Frowning, Robin made his way out of the dust, calling his friends' names. "Where are you guys?!"

Going to the staircase, Robin made his way up the steps. Reaching the landing, he moved down the hall a few steps, turned towards the railing, and looked around. When he saw no one, he whipped out his communicator and pushed the emergency button. For a minute or so, nothing happened. Robin was about to give up when his screen crackled to life. Cyborg's face appeared.

" _We're all safe. How about you?"_

Robin nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine too. But Slade got away."

" _Damn,"_ Cyborg muttered. _"Well, before the bombs went off, Raven teleported everyone to the garage. Where are you?"_

"On the second floor," Robin said. "I'll meet you down there."

" _You got it man. See ya in a sec."_

Robin closed the lid and put his communicator away before walking back downstairs and heading for the front doors. About a minute later, he entered the large garage underneath headquarters where the NCIS team and the Titans were waiting. He stopped in front of them.

"Everyone alright?" The others gave a response. "Okay, good. Bad news is, Slade got away." All but a few people groaned at the news. "He took off in an NCIS helicopter."

"Then all we have to do is track it," McGee said.

Robin shook his head. "He would've disabled the tracking already. The only lead we have in finding him is figuring out who he is after. Someone from his past. Only problem with that is we have nothing on Slade to go on. We don't know what he looks like and, knowing him, he probably has hundreds of hideouts all over the globe. I wouldn't know where to look first."

Everyone was silent, trying to think of something that could be done. Soon, Gibbs took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair.

"I need coffee."


	8. Chapter 8

"I need coffee."

Gibbs turned around and headed for the front door into the building. Robin turned to his team as the others followed after their boss.

"We need to gather up every piece of robot that may be littered inside the building. They could use a helping hand with the clean-up." The Teen Titans followed the others back inside. At the three card tables sitting side-by-side near the lobby, Gibbs was starting a cup of instant coffee in the small microwave next to the coffee maker. While the other Titans went to clean up, Robin stopped next to him. "You need to get your hand re-looked at."

"Not until I have my coffee."

Robin smiled. "That's what I meant." The microwave beeped a couple minutes later. Gibbs pulled the Styrofoam cup out, ignored the steam rising from the top, and took a deep gulp of coffee. He then pulled it away after swallowing, his eyes closed. "Better?"

Gibbs let out a long sigh of relief. "Much."

Tony appeared from the cubicles. He stood on Gibbs's other side. "So what are we going to do now boss?"

Gibbs took a sip of his coffee. "Help clean up."

"We can't take a day's rest first?" Gibbs held the edge of the cup to his lips, giving Tony a blank look. He took a step back. "I feel a Gibbs Slap coming on, so I'll just go."

Tony scurried away. Robin gave a questioning eyebrow lift. "Gibbs Slap?"

Gibbs finished his coffee and made another one. "Usually reserved for Tony if he says or does something I don't like. It's just a small slap to the back of the head."

"I'll remember that." Robin paused. Gibbs's hand was shaking as he tried pushing the numbers with his bad hand. "You should give it a rest."

Gibbs pushed the START button. "I should, but I'm too stubborn not to."

Robin laughed softly. "Yeah, same here. But it won't heal fast enough if you keep using it."

"I know." After getting his second cup, Gibbs and Robin walked into the cubicles to watch the progress. Whole robots were placed in a single pile while parts were placed in another. Ducky was sitting at Gibbs's desk. "Ducky!"

Dr. Mallard looked up. "Yes, Jethro?" Gibbs held up his bandaged hand. "Right away." Getting up, Ducky walked around the mess, approaching Gibbs. "We'll go down into autopsy. I suddenly remembered about our dead soldier. The fact that the bullet was never found still bothers me."

Ducky headed for the stairwell door. Gibbs followed while Robin looked to the others.

"Keep up the good work guys. I'm going to go to the autopsy room with Gibbs and Dr. Mallard. They have a mystery on their hands."

Ignoring any annoyed responses from his team, Robin followed after Ducky and Gibbs. They went down the stairs, maneuvered around the littered robot parts, and then walked through the door. Robin ignored the slight chill. Stopping at a table, Gibbs sat down. Ducky grabbed his supplies and returned to the table to get to work. Robin stood at the head of the table, his arms folded over his chest.

"Tell me about this soldier you were talking about."

Ducky explained his autopsy results as he worked. "A former Vietnam soldier was found dead in his home yesterday morning. He was killed by a bullet to the head. It entered his forehead in a perfectly straight angle and his brain bled out. However, there was no exit wound in the back of the head. I took out his brain, cut into it, but could not find the bullet." Ducky finished cleansing the wound and then got to work stitching it up. "There is no obvious explanation for the lack of evidence."

Robin stared down at the table in thought. How does a bullet enter someone's head, then not come back out, but be missing at the same time?

"How far away was the victim approximately?"

"About eleven or twelve feet."

"Well we can rule out the bullet ricocheting off the skull and coming back out, especially if it went in at a perfectly straight line."

"That is correct," Ducky said, snipping the end of the string off. He then proceeded in wrapping Gibbs's hand. "It still is very strange to me though. Bullets don't just disappear on their own. At least not that I am aware."

"It would be impossible, Duck," Gibbs said. "Unless it shattered into billions of pieces, there is no explanation."

There was a long, quiet pause.

"A dissolvent solution." Gibbs and Ducky looked at Robin. Feeling eyes on him, he looked up, confused when he saw their questioning gazes. "What?"

"You said 'dissolvent solution'," Ducky said.

Robin straightened. "I was thinking it out loud."

"Yes, but what about it?"

"The other possibility," Robin said. "Maybe the bullet was coated or filled with some kind of solvent and, once it entered the body, it dissolved away. A dissolvent solution."

Ducky's face was still confused, but then a thought struck him. Without a word, he went to his desk and opened a file. He pulled out his autopsy report and returned to the table. Setting it down, he spread the pages out for Gibbs and Robin to see. He scanned the pages quickly.

"I haven't taken any of my samples to Abby in her lab yet. The arrival of Slade stopped that step. Funny how he showed up just hours _after_ we brought our dead soldier in."

Ducky's last comment was more of an absentminded thought, but Robin wasn't about to dismiss it from his memory.

"That sounds like a coincidence."

"I don't believe in coincidences," Gibbs said.

Ducky looked up. "Well, unless he was stalking the building and waited for us to arrive-"

They became quiet momentarily.

"I wouldn't put it past him," Robin said seconds later. He looked at the report's first page with the victim's name written on it. "It's a theory, but it's the closest thing we've got. Maybe your dead soldier is connected with Slade attacking NCIS. No idea _why_ , but I'm sure we can find out."

Gibbs stood up. "We'll take the samples up to Abby. Robin might be right in assuming the bullet dissolved somehow. There may be microscopic traces left in the brain."

Gibbs called Abby from Ducky's desk phone, telling her they needed her in her lab and that they'd be there shortly. They hung up, Ducky grabbed his samples, and then the three proceeded upstairs. They met Abby and Starfire at the door into her lab. The glass doors slid open and they walked in. Going to one of her submicroscopic scopes, Abby took the samples from Ducky and then started to work.

"What is friend Abby looking for?" Starfire asked Robin.

"We think Slade and NCIS's dead soldier that came in today are connected in some way. Ducky mentioned how Slade came in not long after they brought the dead soldier in, so we have this theory that Slade was waiting for the body to arrive before attacking NCIS. What Abby is currently doing is taking samples of the victim's brain and looking for any reason for the bullet disappearing after the victim was shot. If our theory is right, then Abby should find something that connects Slade with the bullet at the time of the killing. Maybe then we can be one step closer in figuring out what Slade wanted that list for."

"Perhaps Slade knew this man?" Starfire asked.

"Maybe," Robin agreed.

There was a moment of silence and then-

"Oh, hello. What is this?" Abby changed the focus of her scope, zooming in even more. Everyone moved closer. "At a glance, I haven't a clue what I am seeing. I've never seen anything like this."

Robin stepped up beside her, having a hunch. "Let me take a look."

Abby moved aside to allow Robin access to her scope. Starfire floated over his shoulder as he looked through the eye piece. His brow furrowed as he attempted to find Abby's discovery. It seemed to have vanished.

"It also moves around," Abby said. "It slowly came out of hiding."

Robin waited patiently for the thing to reappear. The room was deadly quiet for almost a minute. That's when Robin saw it. He swore under his breath before moving his eye away and looking at Starfire. From the look he gave her, she knew that what he saw was something the Teen Titans were very familiar with.

"It seems Slade likes to use the same trick twice."

"I am guessing you've seen this anomaly before?" Ducky asked.

Robin stepped back to address Gibbs, Ducky, and Abby. "Yes, we have. My team was once infected with a virus Slade created called nanoscopic probes. They attach to your blood cells and, when activated, would destroy the victim from the inside out in a period of a few minutes. The victim would be caused excruciating pain during the time frame. Twice, my friends almost died from these." Robin relayed the same story he had told Tony earlier that day to Gibbs, Ducky, and Abby. "We only escaped once I forced the probes into my own body. We took the machine that held the virus back to the tower so that Slade could never use it again. I guess he still had the original files to make more."

"So these probes are our mystery dissolvent?" Gibbs asked.

"Looks that way," Robin said. "The only reason there are still traces of them in the soldier's brain is because they haven't completely died yet. It might be a while before they do."

There was a short pause.

"In a way, this is very good news," Ducky said. "We now know that Slade and our dead soldier have a connection."

"Yes, but why?" Starfire asked. "What were Slade's motives for killing this innocent man?"

There was a long pause. Shifting his weight to his other foot, Gibbs turned and headed for the door.

"That's what we're going to find out."


	9. Chapter 9

The soft hum and _bleep-bleep_ of a working computer resounded around a dimly-lit room. In front of a computer was a high-backed, black desk chair. Sitting in it was a white-haired man in what appeared to be his mid-forties. A tall, black cup of coffee sat next to the computer, steam rising out of the top. The desk that the computer sat on was orderly, clean, and mostly empty. On the blue screen, a very long list of names was scrolling automatically, making its way to the top of the screen. Leaning his elbow on the arm rest, the man had his head resting in his hand as he stared unblinking at the list. It looked as though he was waiting for something important to appear.

Needing a break for a minute or two to stretch his legs, the man paused the scrolling with a push of a keyboard stroke. He turned the chair around so that the back faced the computer and then stood up. He took one step forward before stopping in his tracks. Lifting his one-eyed gaze, the man saw a group of teens and a few adults standing a few feet away. No one spoke for a long time. One of the teens, wearing a black mask, stepped forward and folded his arms over his chest.

"It's about time we found you, Slade Wilson."

The Teen Titans and the NCIS Special Agents were standing in Slade's very ordinary-looking hideout, about seventy-three miles from the Naval Yard in the woods. There was a long pause before Slade spoke.

"You always were a clever little boy, Robin." Despite being found out, Slade smirked and folded his arms over his chest. "You must be overjoyed to have figured me out, and in so little time. So enlighten me: how did you do it?"

"It was all thanks to Dr. Mallard," Robin said. "If he hadn't mentioned Eddie Marx to us, we would have never made the connection between you and him."

"Ah yes, Private Eddie Marx. No doubt you are going to arrest me for his death."

Robin nodded. "That's right. You killed a fellow soldier and we have the proof that it was you. We don't know your motive for the murder yet, but you may as well confess."

"You still have yet to answer my question," Slade stated, as a matter-of-fact.

"We are obligated not to," Gibbs said.

Robin looked at him. "I don't mind, really." He looked back at Slade. "Once we figured out you and Marx had a connection, we did some deep digging to find out why. We looked up the platoon Marx was in when he served in Vietnam and found the records of every soldier associated with him. And who did we find? None other than General Slade Wilson. We found quite a few articles over the years when you served in the military and it told us a lot about you. The more we read, the more I noticed the similarities of how General Wilson and you worked. At first we thought it was just coincidence that the two of you shared the same first name, but Gibbs doesn't believe in coincidences. Once we found records of your DNA through the army, we were able to track you down, thanks to a program Cyborg built into the ship and in his arm. In case you were prepared to fight us, we brought the NCIS team along."

Robin paused, his eyes narrowing. "I still find it hard to believe that you turned against your country, after fighting to protect it for so long. You helped win hundreds of battles, fought alongside your fellow soldiers, and yet here you are, a criminal who turned against his country and killed someone on your team. I want to know why."

"Though I don't give a damn about your petty excuses, I also want to know," Gibbs said. "It angers me when a soldier or marine turns on his own country."

Silence fell upon the group. After another few seconds, Slade slowly unfolded his arms, his face blank. "…You stand there, thinking you know everything. But let me let you in on a secret. Don't always believe what you read, hear, or see. Or, rather, a lack thereof."

Robin looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Slade's eye narrowed. "There was a top secret operation that never made it to the general public. Not even NCIS knows about it."

"Funny, I believe we _do_ know everything there is to know," Tony said.

"I am sorry to disappoint you, but you are wrong," Slade said sternly. "Everyone knows that the government keeps certain secrets from its people. This one in particular dates back to Vietnam, when I served. Soldiers were given the opportunity to be test subjects for Project Super Soldier. A Super Soldier could withstand fatigue, have a much faster healing rate than a normal human, and became much smarter, faster, and stronger. They rarely needed sleep or food to fuel their bodies. As a General and fellow fighter, I considered it my duty to lead my men into the process of becoming Super Soldiers, so I also volunteered. Only a handful of them joined me; the only ones brave enough to at least try. To show them that becoming a Super Soldier would be worth it, I went first. The process was ex _cruciating_ ly painful and took hours to complete. It felt like your entire body was getting cut into pieces. Before it is over, you wish that your life would end at that moment. Yes, I had survived, but at a price."

"And what would that _be_ exactly?" Ziva asked.

"Only a few managed to survive the transformation. The rest lost their lives. To keep the project silent to the outside world, those with families that perished were said to have died in combat. Wives and children had been lied to, just so the government could save face. At the time it didn't mean anything to me. It wasn't until years later when I discovered the whole truth that it mattered."

Slade paused, a dark emotion flaring on his face and in his good eye. Robin recognized the look immediately. He, too, once had a face like that, after his parents were murdered and he lived with Bruce. It was one of pure loathing towards the whole world and all of the people in it. Having experienced it himself, Robin knew that that was true pain. So that posed a question: what had caused Slade so much pain that he would do something like this? And how did that tie in with the list?

"Well, what happened?" Gibbs asked, almost impatiently.

After a few more seconds of staring at them, Slade lowered his gaze and lifted his hands towards his face. He stared at them with the same look, but there was something else too. Again, Robin recognized it because he had looked the same way once before. Every night after his parents' burial service, he would sit alone in his dark room, trying to figure out why the world hated him so much by doing this. He never could get an answer, making him even angrier. It seemed to him that Slade felt the same way. After staring at his hands a few seconds longer, he slowly curled them into fists, talking quietly at first.

"On a dark, cold night, I was attacked during a mercenary job. Most of my body had been riddled with bullet holes. I laid in my own pool of blood, _dying_." Slade looked back up, his face somewhat calm. "I thought I had died. But, instead…I survived."

Everyone looked at Slade in disbelief. Even if he had a faster healing rate, he could still die from fatal wounds. And Slade believed he had been dying. But he hadn't?

"I do not understand," Ziva said. "If you were dying, how had you lived?"

Robin quickly understood what Slade meant. They didn't call him the greatest young detective for nothing. "The procedure made you immortal."

"Very perceptive, Robin," Slade said. "Yes, I had become immortal. So did the others. My comrades would soon come to realize that the people they loved would pass away while they continued to live. " Slade suddenly looked grim. "Because of what I had encouraged, I put my men through Hell. For _nothing_."

"Wait, wait, wait." Everyone but Slade glanced at Tony. "I wouldn't call becoming immortal nothing. I'm sure lots of people would want your gift."

Anger quickly crossed Slade's face. "Being immortal isn't a gift, it's a curse. Day in and day out you watch the people around you grow old and die before your eyes. You watch people get hurt and feel pain while you stand by and heal almost instantaneously. A life where you cannot die is no life at all. Not one of you know the true meaning of Hell, but I am well aware. I live through it every _single_ day and so did my comrades. They may or may not have accepted their fate, but it did not matter. Unlike me, they did not deserve that pain and suffering. I vowed to find a way to end their lives so that they didn't continue to live in Hell."

"…You used past tense." Slade looked at Robin. "When you said that you "live through Hell every day, your men did too", _did_ is past tense. So you found a way around being immortal. The same method you used to kill Eddie Marx." He paused when the answer came to him. "You shot them in the head, didn't you? Then when the bullet dissolved away…"

"Yes, Robin, when it dissolved, the nanos flowed through their veins, filled their organs, and destroyed their brain and heart," Slade finished. "I found a way to end their lives and make things right. However, I still wasn't satisfied. Before I killed my comrades, I promised them that I would fix my mistake and take away the lives of those that took theirs. However, I only had one small problem…"

Slade paused, waiting for Robin to fill in the blanks, like he usually did. Robin glanced past him and saw the list of names paused on the computer screen. From what he could tell from Slade's confession, he had killed all of the immortal men from his unit, Eddie Marx being the last one except for the villain himself. So who would Slade still be looking for? Robin came up with the answer right as Gibbs did.

"You want to destroy the men and women that were involved with the procedure, to avenge your fallen comrades and to make things right."

"You are correct, Gibbs," Slade said. "The names of the scientists and government officials that OK'd the project have been forgotten. I made a copy of the list to examine, to hopefully spark a memory of who they were. So far I have not found them, nor am I halfway through. Before I mentioned to Robin that his parents would not be on the list."

"Why?" Gibbs asked.

"Because they're dead." The NCIS team looked at Robin. The Titans already knew the story of their leader's past, so they didn't have to glance his way. Robin's face was blank as he stared at Slade. "This list is a record of every person still alive today."

"The moment I spot a familiar name, I will view it and, if they are the ones I am looking for, I will find out where they live," Slade continued. "I will kill every single one of them when I do. I promised my men that I would and I intend to keep it. I will avenge them, no matter the cost. And _that_ is what they deserve."

Everyone grew quiet. No one really knew what to say. The NCIS team knew all about avenging the ones they cared about, those deceased and those still alive but had been hurt. They understood where Slade was coming from. But the question was, did that make it right?

Robin stared at the floor. Slade mentioned that he would avenge his fellow soldiers. It sounded more like revenge to him. He had wanted revenge for the murder of his parents by killing the man responsible. Thanks to Batman, he learned that revenge wasn't the answer and it didn't change anything. Killing the man that killed his parents wouldn't bring them back from the dead. What Slade had planned didn't seem right at all.

After a few more seconds, Robin looked up with a solemn look on his calm face. He stared directly at Slade, like he was boring his gaze into his soul. "Killing the people responsible for what happened to you won't change anything," he said softly. "It won't turn back time and reverse your comrades' immortality. You say you're doing it to avenge them, but I believe you're wrong." Slade's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "You want _revenge_ , Slade, _not_ vengeance. Once upon a time I felt the same anger and despair you do. Ever since my parents were taken from me, I hated the world. Every night I asked myself, "Why? Why does the world hate me so much?". I, too, wanted to kill the one responsible for my parents' deaths. I almost succeeded, but I learned that revenge wouldn't bring them back. I stopped myself from making a grave mistake.

"And you were right. You and I are a lot alike. We watched our families pass before our eyes. We live through that pain every day, knowing it happened. But revenge would only increase that pain. Your comrades wouldn't want you making that mistake. Break those promises you made and stand down." Robin paused. When Slade said nothing, he reached into his belt. "You're under arrest for the murder of Eddie Marx." Robin pulled out a pair of handcuffs and held them in the palm of his hand. Slade glanced down at them, his eye narrowed. "Just give up quietly, Slade. I'm giving you a chance to avoid what I had almost accomplished so long ago. It might be a waste saying that, but it's worth a try. For once in your life, let someone help you. Before it's too late."

Everyone was quiet, most waiting with bated breath to see what Slade would do. Robin stared at him with a determined look on his face. There was no telling if his words sunk into him or not, but he was willing to be patient enough to find out. He was even willing to give Slade a chance despite their troubled past as master and apprentice. Slade just had to take it, otherwise they'd use brute force. After almost another minute, Slade turned to the side to see the list still paused on his screen. He then closed his eyes and smirked softly.

"You always try so hard, Robin." He turned back to them. "But this time, it has paid off. I actually should have known it would end this way." Slade smirked. "Looks like you have won this round, Robin. Congratulations."

Robin snorted, but smirked. He approached Slade. "You don't have to be so modest."

"Believe me, I wasn't," Slade said, lifting his hands. Robin clamped a cuff to his wrist and tightened it. As he locked the other one, Slade spoke in a soft voice, so only he could hear. "Your parents would be proud."

Once he was situated, Robin turned to the others. "Gibbs…"

Taking out his cell phone, Gibbs dialed a number and placed it to his ear. "He's in custody."

Gibbs hung up the phone. A few seconds later, police entered the room. Robin stepped aside as they approached Slade.

"Thanks guys." An officer led Slade outside. The others followed except for Robin and Gibbs. Turning to the computer, he quit out of the list and ejected the disk before turning to Gibbs. "Mind if I take this for our Trophy Room?"

"It would be better if it were destroyed I think," Gibbs said. "We wouldn't want it falling in the wrong hands."

With both hands, Robin snapped the disk in two and then threw it in a trash can. "We should make sure Slade actually gets in the police car. I'm sure he could easily escape those handcuffs if he wanted to."

Nodding, Gibbs turned and headed out. Robin followed behind him. When they were outside, they saw a policeman ducking Slade's head as he put him in the back of the car. His arms had been switched to behind his back, Robin noticed. He found that kind of ironic.

"So, do you think your words had any affect on him?" Gibbs asked.

Robin could see the back of Slade's head from the back window. He smiled. "I hope so. I think Slade finally has some respect for me."

"It seems that way. He did say your parents would be proud, so maybe."

Robin looked at Gibbs. "You heard that, huh?"

Gibbs shook his head. "No, I can read lips and I know sign language." Turning, Gibbs extended his hand to him. "Thank you for your help, Robin."

Lifting his arm, Robin shook his hand. "Thanks for _letting_ us help."

They ended the handshake and then joined their teams. They said their good-byes, Starfire hugged Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs until their faces turned blue, and they gave each other contact information—e-mails and the location of Titans Tower for NCIS.

"If we ever need help like this again, I will contact you for any insights," Gibbs told Robin. "We could use your detective skills around here."

"If I'm available, I would be glad to help out."

Soon, everyone was ready to depart. They headed over to Gibbs's car and the T-car that had been in the T-ship cargo area. At the passenger door, Robin turned to look at the police car one more time. It was starting to pull away.

"Think he'll stay in jail?"

Robin looked at Cyborg from across the car. "Hopefully."

Opening his door, Robin got in. The others followed suit. Soon the car revved to life. Gibbs passed them so that they could follow him back to headquarters. Cyborg put the car into drive and stepped on the gas. They pulled away from the now abandoned cabin in the woods and headed for home.


End file.
